Windmill



(No Model.) I 2' Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. F. LEPE-VER.

WINDMILL. No. 400,230. 0 Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

B. F. LEPEVER.

WINDMILL.

No. 400,230. Patented Mar. 26, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. LEFEVER, OF HAYFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

WINDMILL.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,230, dated March 26, 1889.

Application filed Angus. 4, 1888. Serial No. 281,941. (No model;)

To all whom it may coir/corn:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. LEFE VER, of Hayfield, in the county of Crawford and State of igennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in VVind-Wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The invention which is the subject of the following specification relates to wind-enes of that class in which the main shaft is s unted upon a turn-table having a vane at one end and a vertical wheel at the other with vanes carried upon a head of the revolving shaft and pivoted to turn back in line, with the shaft and beam when turning out of the wind. I have sought, first, to make the engine self-governing in respect to its speed; secondly, to simplify the construction of the engine; thirdly, to improve its operation.

The principal points of my invention are hereinafter fully set forth, and the whole machine is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure is a vertical sectional view through the central shaft and turntable with some of the parts in side elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan View showing the position of the fans when out of the wind. Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 00 0c of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aface view of the vanes.

In the drawings, A represents the post upon which the engine is mounted, which. is to be setupon the top of any suitable tower or other support. This is preferably made of two members, on the top of which is fixed a flanged ring, B, to which the turn-table C is fitted. The turn-table has ayoke, c, projecting down through the ring, and through this passes a connecting-rod, to the lower end of which the pump or other machine is connected. The main beam E is composed of two members, 6, fixed side by side to the turn-table. This carries upon the rear end a vane, F, bolted between the two members, On the front end of the main beam are bolted cross-blocks f, in which are bearings for the main shaft G. This is hollow, and upon its front end is fixed a dish-shaped head, g, open to the front with a hole in the bottom in line with the'bore of the hollow shaft. To the flaring head of the shell on the outside is bolted a series of arms,

H, which extend to the front, diverging on the inclination of the sloping shell of the head. These arms are six in number, corresponding to the number of wheel-vanes, as shown in the drawings; but the number is not mate rial. To the outer end of each arm is fixed a plate, h, turning up on each side to form lugs, in which are the bearings of the short shafts t, which carry the wheel-vanes I. These vanes are made approximately tri= angular in shape and are set on the shafts radially when the wheel is spread to its full extent at a suitable angle to the wind, and with the smaller ends at the center. The bearings of the shafts in the lugs hold them slightly outside of the arms, so that when extended'the vanes stand between the arms, and when the wheel is collapsed they lie back over the head and in planes parallel with the main shaft. By this construction the surface presented to the wind is reduced by the backward movement of the vanes, and when the vanes are in radial lines from the center to the head the wheel is at its full capacity. \Vhen the vanes are thrown back into line parallel with themain shaft, thesurface exposed to the wind is reduced to a minimum. The main shaft has on its rear end near the center of the turn-table but a little in front of it a pinion, 1. This is constantly in mesh with a gear-wheel, 2, mounted upon a crank- I shaft, 3, which has its bearings in standards 4 on the main beam. The crank of the shaft is connected to the Vertical connecting-rod before mentioned by means of a pitman, 5,

which is in the form of a loop, through which passes the rod. 6 of the regulating-head. This head K is in the form of a spider and is fixed on the front end of the regulating-rod 6. To the extremities of its arms are pivoted connecting-rods k, the front ends of which are pivoted to the inner-ends of the vanes. The parts are so adjusted that when the vanes are extended the regulating-head rests back within the dish-shaped head. The rear end of the regulating-rod 6 runs back to a crosshead, 7, in which it has bearings, the crosshead being held from longitudinal movement in relation to the rod by a ball in the bearing. The cross-head is connected to cord or chain belt g, which runs over a pulley, 8, pivoted between the members of the main beam. The cord runs thence forward over another pulley, 8, similarly situated, and thence runs down through a hole in the plate in the bottom of the yoke and is connected to a bail of a weight, L, through the center of which the rod passes, thus serving as a guide for the weight. The bail is bent slightly aside, so as not to interfere with the motion up and down of the rod. To the inner ends of the wheelvanes on the front side are fixed governorarms M,which, when the vanes are extended, project directly to the front. I have shown one on each vane, which arrangement I prefer; but they may be less than the number of vanes, being symmetrically arranged. On the front ends of the governor arms are weights m, which are preferably adjustable toward or from the vanes. This adjustment may be effected, as shown, by means of nuts 9 on the threaded ends of the arms; but the adjustment of the weights may be secured in any convenient way.

The tendency of the weight L, connected to the regulator-rod, is to hold the wheel-vanes to the wind, and the amount of force exerted for this purpose may be varied by increasing or diminishing this weight, for which purpose additional weights may be provided, (in the form of the weights used on weighing-scales,) which may be placed on top of the weight. hen the wheel is in motion, the centrifugal force of the weights on the ends of the regulator-arms will tend to throw the vanes out of the wind or reduce the amount of surface exposed, and this force acts in opposition to the force of the weight L. The movement of the regulator-head, and consequently that of the vanes in their motion upon the head, is limited by the cross-head, which runs on ways 1.0 on the upper side of the main beam, there being stops 11 at the end of the ways to limit the movement of the cross-head. The cross diameter of the pitman loop is proportioned to the sweep of the crank, so that the loop will not come in contact with the regulator-rod. The regulator rod runs freely through the hollow shaft and turns with it.

The engine above described is self-regulating, so as to maintain uniform speed, and at E the same time it will adjust itself to a sudden 5 burst of wind and will collapse to present a minimum of surface, so that there is no danger that the wheel will be wrecked by any sudden or excessive force of wind, and the construction of the gearing is such that there is no tendency to turn out of the wind.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with the hollow main shaft of a wind-engine, the flaring dishshaped head, arms bolted to its outer surface, vanes mounted on shafts pivoted in the outer ends of said arms, the regulator-shaft within the hollow main shaft, the regulator-head on the end of said shaft, and rods connecting said head to the inner ends of the vanes, also in. combination with governor-arms and weights carried on the ends of said arms and extended to the front, substantially as described.

2. I11 combination, the posts A A, the main beam E, the hollow main shaft, the pivoted vanes, the operatingrod 6, extending through the hollow shaft, the rods 70 and head K, connecting the vanes with the operating-rod, the vertical rod, the gear-and-pinion connection between the same and the main shaft, a s1iding cross-head, 7, having the operating-rod swiveled thereon, the rope g, pulleys 8 and 8 for directing said rope from the cross-head to within the posts A A, and the weightLon the vertical rod, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the vanes, the main shaft, and the connection between the said shaft and the rod, consisting of the pinion 1 on the shaft, the crank-shaft in bearings 4 4c, the gear 2, carried thereby and in mesh with the pinion, and the pitman connected to the crankshaft and vertical rod, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the hollow main shaft, the pivoted vanes, the rod 6, extending throu gh said hollow shaft and connected at its rear end to suitable controlling-weight, the vertical rod and the connection between said vertical rod and the hollow main shaft, consisting of the pinion 1, gear 2, crank 3, and the pitman 5, said pitnian being in loop form to avoid the operating-rod 6, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. LEFEVER.

\Vitnesses: E. S. SKEEL, i WIN S. Rosa. 

